Instantly, everyone was crowding around her, asking questions all at once. She felt a bit like a goldfish that had been dropped into a tank full of piranhas.
She didn’t answer any of them. Instead, she walked over to Alex, took his arm, dug her fingertips into his flesh and said under her breath, “Thanks a lot, Al. And while you’re spilling beans, why don’t you just go ahead and tell them who really shot President Kennedy.”
Chapter
14
“Why are you so interested in shots of the foyer?” Leonard asked as Savannah and Dirk leaned forward in their chairs and stared at the images on the tiny screen before them.
While Savannah hadn’t expected to watch the dailies on a full movie screen with a bucket of popcorn on her lap, she had hoped for something better than this small, fuzzy, flickering screen that had given her a headache after the first three minutes of peering at it.
Leonard and Pete’s apartment and makeshift “studio” was in a cottage that was little more than a shed at the far end of the garden. Its accommodations, or lack there of, made Ryan and John’s place look palatial. Small, dark, sparsely furnished, and reeking of something that smelled like gym socks and stale pot smoke, the room wasn’t Savannah’s idea of a fun place to spend the afternoon.
The sooner she got out of here, into the fresh air and away from Leonard’s questions, the better. One glance at Dirk told her that he was thinking the same thing.
“Don’t worry about it,” Dirk said. “Are these all you’ve got? Nothing taken in the entrance there, by the foot of the stairs?”
Dirk had been getting grumpier by the moment as the grainy images danced on the screen, showing them everything except the suit of armor in question.
“That’s about it,” Leonard said, “unless you want to see some of the stuff I shot when we were first scouting out the location.”
“Does any of that include the foyer?” Savannah asked him.
“Probably. Hang on.”
For several tiresome minutes they watched Leonard search his footage, until he finally found what they had been hoping for all along. A brief but clear shot of the entrance and Sir Knight of the Empty Hand.
Only his hand wasn’t empty. He was holding something long with a spiked ball on one end and what might have been a chain hanging from the other.
“Wait! Right there!” Dirk said, leaning closer to the screen until his nose was practically touching it. “Can you make this picture any bigger? Zoom in or something?”
Leonard looked alert and interested for the first time since they had begun. “What part? What are you looking at in particular?”
Savannah cringed. If there was anything Dirk couldn’t stand—well, actually, there were a whole lot of things that Dirk couldn’t stand—it was someone questioning him about his own investigation. Especially when he had nothing solid yet.
“Just zoom in, wouldja?” Dirk snapped. “Don’t worry what I’m looking at.”
Leonard bristled. “Hey, I’m doing you a favor here. I’m spending time I don’t have to—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Dirk replied, “and I’m doing you a solid favor by not searching this room for the dope that I could smell the minute I walked through the door, so let’s get zoomin’, huh?”
With only minor grumblings, Leonard adjusted the view on the screen, and Savannah and Dirk saw all they needed to see: the medieval weapon from the cellar in all of its nasty glory, down to the distinctive diagonal wrappings.
Dirk turned to Savannah and grinned. Then he scowled at Leonard. “I need a copy of that,” he said.
“Well, I don’t know if I can…”
“Or you can just give me the original tape right now.”
Leonard peered at Dirk through the scraggly strands of hair hanging over his eyes. “Don’t you need a court order or something legal to take stuff like that?”
“I can get one in an hour, if I need to,” Dirk replied. “But if I have to go to all that trouble, I’m going to make it worth my while. Hell, I might even have to take every bit of tape you’ve got on this whole stinkin’ show, and how’s old Alex gonna like that? Especially when I tell him that all you would have had to do is make me one measly copy of one little section of—”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do it this afternoon.”
Dirk gave him a half-smile. “I’m so glad. You’re a fine, upstanding citizen, helping law enforcement this way.” He headed for the door and motioned for Savannah to come with him. But he paused with his hand on the knob and turned back to the less-than-thrilled cameraman. “By the way,” he added, “you don’t touch a joint, pipe, or bong until you’ve got that copy made for me, you hear?”
Leonard cast one quick, furtive glance at a backpack that was lying on the cot in the corner. “Yeah, sure, man. That’s cool.”
“And one more thing,” Savannah said. “We’d appreciate it if you could just keep this whole business between the three of us. Okay?”
Leonard looked relieved to change the subject. He actually gave her a big, goofy grin. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”
Once outside with the door closed, Savannah turned to Dirk. “How long do you think it’ll be before he tells his tokin’ buddy all about it?”
“At least until he sees him again. You know what they say about three people being able to keep a secret.”
“Yes,” she replied. “They can do it if two of them are dead.”
As Savannah was walking through the front door of the keep on her way inside to find Tammy, she ran nearly headlong into Roxy.
The blonde had changed out of her velvet gown and, like Savannah, was wearing her comfortable clothes. But unlike Savannah’s simple shirt and linen slacks, Roxy’s shorts and halter top were skintight and didn’t have an inch of fabric to spare. Savannah had seen more modest attire on some of the MTV entertainers.
She wondered for a moment if maybe she was missing something by not dressing in similar fashion. After all, it was eye-catching, and they all wanted to catch Lance’s eye.
But then, her Granny’s advice came to mind: “Don’t show it all, Savannah girl. Let ’em wonder. ’Cause men are gonna wonder; it’s their nature. Wonderin’ is their favorite pastime. They’d rather speckle-ate on it than actually see it.” When the young Savannah had asked her grandmother, “Why?” her granny had smiled a wicked little grin and said, “Because they know full well that their speckle-ation is bound to be rosier than the reality o’ the sit-chi-ation.”
That explanation hadn’t made a lot of sense to Savannah at the time, but over the years she had grown to appreciate the truth and wisdom behind her grandmother’s words.
So, she didn’t spend long wondering if she should head upstairs and put on a tube top and short-shorts like Roxy’s. There were all sorts of ways to compete.
“You’re just the person I wanted to talk to,” Savannah said, deciding to jump into the deep end and see what she could find underwater. Maybe a she-shark?
“Me?” Roxy didn’t look thrilled. “I’m busy.”
“Me, too. But there’s always time for a little girl talk. A bit of old-fashioned chinwagging.”
The blonde’s eyes lit up ever so slightly at the mention of gossip. “Oh? Is it good?”
Savannah’s eyes narrowed. “The juiciest. Girl, you’re just not going to believe who’s sleeping with Alex!”
Roxy’s mouth dropped open wide enough for Ryan to drive the Blackmoor carriage through. When she didn’t answer, Savannah replied for her, “Surprise! It’s you!”
“That isn’t funny,” Roxy snapped, when she had pulled Savannah into the cubicle under the stairwell and checked to see that no one was within earshot.
“I don’t think so either,” Savannah replied coolly. “I mean, he’s a married man. And even if screwing another woman’s husband doesn’t bother you, it just ain’t smart.”
Roxy propped her hands on her hips and tossed her head. “Oh, yeah? Well, a lot you know about it. It just so happens that Alex is goi
ng to marry me one of these days soon! So there!”
“Hmmm, and if that’s true, and he actually marries you, what a prize you’ve got there! A man who fools around on his wife. Now, ain’t you just the lucky one.”
“You don’t know what’s between Alex and me. We love each other, and we’re going to be very happy together now that—”
Her jaw snapped shut like a box turtle’s.
“Now that Tess is dead?” Savannah said, finishing her sentence for her. When Roxy didn’t reply, Savannah stepped closer to her, forcing her further into the tight little cubicle. “Did you kill Tess, Roxy?” she whispered. “Did you? Or did you help Alex do it? Did you guys bash that poor woman on the head and smash her skull in? Did you?”
Roxy’s eyes were huge, her lower lip trembling when she shook her head and said, “No! No, of course not! I might have an affair with a man I love, even if he’s married, but I’m not a killer. I’d never do something like that.”
“Did Alex do it by himself?”
“No! Never!”
“Did he do it for you, Roxy? So that you two could be together?”
“We could have been together anyway. He was going to ask her for a divorce. He told me so.”
“But if he had really been intending to leave her, he would have had to split everything he has with her. It would have been so much nicer for both of you to have it all to yourselves. Is that why he killed her, Roxy?”
“He didn’t kill her!”
Savannah shoved her face so close to the other woman’s that they could feel and smell each other’s breath. “You can tell me, Roxy. Really, you can. I’m good friends with Detective Coulter. And if you tell him everything you know, he’ll make sure that you don’t get into any sort of trouble yourself. I promise. And you’ll feel so much better.”
“No! No! No!”
Roxy reached out with both hands and pushed Savannah as hard as she could. But Savannah had braced herself, and she didn’t budge.
She was surprised when Roxy actually started to cry. “I don’t know anything about anything,” she blubbered, “And Alex didn’t kill Tess. He wouldn’t do something like that, no matter how mad he was at her. Do you think I’d be in love with the kind of man who could kill his own wife?”
“He was mad at her?”
“He was always mad at her. She was a real bitch, and nobody liked her. And he’s not a bad guy for falling in love with another woman. He was lonely and hurt, and he needed someone, too. Alex wasn’t the first to break their marriage vows. She was! He had it coming to him.”
“She did? When? With whom?”
“Lance!”
Savannah hadn’t braced herself for that one. She moved backward a step, feeling as though someone had just landed a roundhouse kick to her solar plexus.
“With Lance? Tess and Lance?”
She tried to picture it, Mrs. Orange Juice Commercial doing the nasty with Mr. Coverboy Hunk.
But she didn’t try very hard.
Her mind flatly refused to go there.
“How long ago?” she asked. Keep to the facts, Savannah, she told herself. Just the facts, ma’am.
“For years.”
“For years?” Her mind whirled like a carnival ride. One that made you throw up your cotton candy.
No. It just couldn’t be.
“Off and on for years, ever since they got to know each other. So Alex had every right to take a lover. We weren’t doing anything wrong, and we didn’t kill her. So, you and that detective friend of yours can just go bother somebody else for a change. Maybe you’ll even figure out who really killed her, and who hurt Carisa, too.”
With that, Roxy, her tube top, and her short-shorts stomped off down the hall.
Savannah had seen a self-righteous huff. Having been raised in a family with seven girls, she certainly knew one when she saw it.
And Roxy’s little hissy fit was as self-righteous as they came.
She hadn’t killed Tess, she hadn’t helped Alex do it, and if he had done it on his own, she didn’t know anything about it.
Savannah only wished that she was as uninformed as Roxy. She would have paid a pretty penny not to know what she knew.
Way too much information.
Lance and Tess together. Yuck!
She had the terrible feeling that she might never look at one of his romance covers the same way again. The thought of Tess bent backward in his arms, her eyes locked with his in a lusty gaze, her bodice ripped, her orange hair aglow in the light of the setting sun.
Yes, Savannah decided, I’m definitely going to have to bleach my brain to get rid of that mental picture.
When you least expect it, things can take a turn for the worst.
Life is cruel.
Chapter
15
“All right,” Alex shouted to the ragtag assemblage in the courtyard the next morning, “we’ve got to make up some lost time, so let’s get this show on the road.”
Savannah had wondered what form today’s competition would take. They had been told to wear the same outfits that they had worn for the archery contest.
And now she knew.
“Swords?” Brandy looked like she was about to cry as Mary handed out the weapons of the day. “I don’t like swords. I don’t even like knives, and these are like really big, ugly knives! It’s a phobia that I have.”
“Get a load of Maid Marian there,” Roxy said, as Mary presented the open case to her. “She’s hot stuff with a bow and arrow, but the sight of a blade makes her sick. Go figure.” Roxy chose her weapon, lifted it from the case and swung it through the air. She looked like a kid playing pirate.
Savannah also noted with delight that she looked like a rank amateur who had never picked up a bladed weapon before. Okay, she thought. Brandy’s afraid to touch a sword, and Roxy obviously has no idea how to handle one. Things are looking up for the gal from Georgia.
Savannah had never fenced or wielded a sword herself either, but years ago in her karate dojo, she had fought many times with a wooden rod called a “jo.” And even though a jo had no blade, it was amazing how much pain it could cause when your opponent landed it across your shins, your ribs, or even your arm.
Yes, this could be fun, she thought. And more important than fun…profitable.
“I don’t want to do this,” Brandy whined. “Really. These things look dangerous.”
“Cut!” Alex threw up his hands. “Do you suppose we could get at least two full minutes done without one of you saying something stupid? Brandy, they have blunted blades. You couldn’t cut hot butter with them.”
He walked over to her and said, “Here, give me that!”
He snatched the sword out of her hand and struck his bare leg below his shorts with the edge. Then he held his hairy, unharmed calf up for her inspection. “See. Nothing. Okay, Brandy?”
She shrugged and looked partially placated. “Yeah, okay. I guess.”
“Then with your permission, we’ll continue.” He marched back to his place behind Leonard. “Mary, go.”
Mary walked over to Savannah and held the case in front of her. Looking inside, Savannah saw that one sword remained, nestled against dark green velvet.
It wasn’t a particularly impressive bit of weaponry. This sword would never play the role of Excalibur in a movie, but she had to admit that when she took it by the handle and lifted it out of the box, she liked the feel of it. And while she wasn’t ready to give up her Beretta and start packing a sword, she was surprised that she felt right at home with the thing in her hand.
A few swipes through the air and she was ready to go.
“Here are the rules of our warfare today,” Mary told them. “And like the knights and noblewomen of yesteryear, we must abide by the code of honor.”
Yeah, right, Savannah thought. Honor, my foot. I’ll knock Roxy’s block off. Lemme at her.
“You must make all good effort,” Mary said, “to avoid striking your opponent in the head area. The
only points awarded will be for body strikes. You will receive one point for every time your sword comes in contact with their torso area. The first person to gain three points wins the match. However, if your sword should fall from your hand for any reason, the match is over, and your opponent will win.”
Savannah couldn’t help grinning. This was going to be a piece of cake. A big, juicy piece of pecan-and-coconut-frosting German chocolate cake. Off with her head, she thought, looking at Roxy, who was twirling her sword like a baton. Forget the knightly code of honor. That baby’s gonna roll like a bowling ball.
Mary continued, “The first contestant to win three matches will be our winner and will receive the most coveted prize thus far.”
This time no one expected a luxury car or a fur coat. They knew, as usual, it was going to be time spent with Lance. Obviously, that wouldn’t cost old Tight Wallet Alex any dough.
When no one inquired about the prize, Mary told them, “You will be given the opportunity to spend the entire night with Lance Roman, his guest in the Royal Chamber, a sumptuous suite in yon round tower.” She pointed to a cylindrical structure that was part of the outer wall in one of the far corners of the compound. It didn’t look especially sumptuous, but the idea of spending a night with Lance set her heart pounding.
It would have set her heart aflutter even more if she hadn’t heard that nasty bit of gossip about him and Tess from Roxy earlier.
Yes, Roxy owed her. And Savannah figured that one clean, simple beheading would even the score just fine.
The other two women seemed impressed with the possibility of spending a night with Lord Gorgeous. Finally, something worth winning, even if you couldn’t drive or wear it. Even reluctant Brandy seemed to warm to the prospect.
Mary closed the sword case and set it aside. “The first match will be between Lady Brandy and Lady Savannah. Noblewomen, stand here in front of me, facing each other, five paces apart.”
Savannah and Brandy took their places. Savannah would have been happy to bloody her sword—figuratively speaking—on Roxy first, but Brandy would be good practice.
Murder à la Mode Page 19
